Kazanbai Shiro
''"Yes, Kazanbai is a gentle one. He adores cooking and is, by far, the cutest officer I have had to date. I will allow him to go with you, Kurosaki-kun, but be wary, as cute doesn't always mean innocent." - Retsu Unohana Kazanbai Shiro (白 火山灰, Shiro Kazanbai) is the Eleventh Seated officer of the Gotei Thirteen's Fourth Division, where he is also the Co-leader of the Fourteenth Advanced Relief Team. He has an Inner Hollow, which is a commonality among the Visoreds. Appearance He is small, fragile, and very delicate. Kazanbai stands at 137.2 cm and weighs around 37.9kgs. Aside from his obvious shortness, Kazanbai's most notable feature is his hair: elegant, long and flowing, it falls to his lower back. It is a lovely shade of cordovan. His eyes are large, droopy, gentle, and full of innocence yet there is a lingering sense of regret. His eyebrows are peculiar in a way that they’re appear to mimic tomoe. His default expression is one of nervousness in which his face contorts into one of slight fear. His is of a fair complexion, underneath his clothing, he has a barely visible tan line. Kazanbai has no muscle definition while his arms are skinny and weak. His body is curvy while small breasts perched upon his chest. Another feature that sticks out on this tiny young boy, are the three purple tattoos on his face. As he had lost his memory of his past life, he can’t seem to remember what they were for. In his right ear, he has a hanging earring with a two white medium-sized feathers with blue tips attached to it. Thanks to his more effeminate side, Kazanbai understands what style is; regardless of how girly it may appear to be. He wears the standard Shinigami shihakusho with a sleeveless nagajuban underneath. His outfit is slightly bigger than he is, so, his hands are completely hidden away by the baggy sleeves. This also hides the two loop bracelets that he wears on his left arm. Around his waist is a large, pink ribbon with elongated ends that come down to his ankles. He uses the sash of his shihakusho to keep the large accessory in place. He also wears a small, amethyst-hued cloak that comes to a stop about is upper thighs. This cloak hand stitched by Kazanbai himself, so, he proudly wears it! This 'cloak' is decorated with pink Sakura petals that flow along the bottom. Kazanbai has stated it was "inspired by Kyōraku Shunsui and his lovely fashion taste." On the back of the cloak, a very large petal is plastered in the middle. This petal contains the both insignia of the Fourth Division and his Division number. This, however, is hidden by the medical backpack that Squad Four members are required to carry. Instead of wearing it around his waist, he has pinned it to his shoulders. These customizations make him stick out among Squad Four as the 'fashionable' one and most people assume he is a woman with all of the girly garments ''(as said by Tetsuzaemon Iba). Personality Kazanbai is a very kind and friendly individual, whose timid nature and social awkwardness immediately makes him a target to the taunts and bullish antics of Squad Eleven. Kazanbai loves to see people happy and will do anything to make those closest to him happy, even at the cost of his own. Kazanbai has the utmost respect for all authority figures, and no matter how rude they may be to him, he will always address them with a smile. Kazanbai is ruled by his emotions, but, he does all he can to keep his physical features in check. He will do absolutely anything to protect those whom he loves or cares about; the devotion he has to those few people is quite shocking. Kazanbai is often reluctant to change and will refuse any sort of 'adventure.' Regardless of this, Kazanbai is known around Squad Four for being the most 'adventurous' out of all of them. During the first few years of his life, Kazanbai was taught to speak and act like a female. His parents had desperately wanted a little girl, but, they were graced with Kazanbai's maleness. Despite this, his parents were going to make it work! Giving the boy estrogen pills and other drugs to rework his body's natural cycle, Kazanbai had believed himself to be completely and wholly female. During his teenage years, Kazanbai developed small breasts and this furthered his mind to believe that he was female, regardless of what he bared between his legs. Before his death in the Human World and his rebirth as a Shinigami, Kazanbai had experienced what it felt like to be in love. He had fallen for one of his childhood friends, Yumi. However, as close as they were, Yumi never knew of Kazanbai's little secret. However, that experience didn't last long as Yumi had found out. Having been ran off by his 'love,' Kazanbai's heart hardened and he locked himself away from society. Due to this, Kazanbai developed an inner personality to keep himself sane after the loss of the boy he had loved. A few years after this happened, Kazanbai grew extremely bipolar as the emotions of his inner personality. Despite his air-headed appearance and nature, Kazanbai is extremely intelligent. Academically, Kazanbai was able to comprehend things far beyond his years and often would correct some of the teachers within Shinō Academy. This caused him to get on the bad side for most of the teachers, but, this often didn't matter to him. Kazanbai, to this day, can be found with his nose in a book(once his chores are finished, that is.) Kazanbai also is emotionally smart, being able to sense when those around him are upset, even if they don't show it physically. During his time on Squad Four, Kazanbai has become a masterful multitasker and has set a record for getting his chores done in the shortest amount of time. As intelligent as Kazanbai may be, he is awful when it comes to making decisions. Having been raised while being forced to think one way and always second-guessing himself, Kazanbai dislikes when pressure is put on him when making a choice. When he must make a choice, he gets chronic headaches and should the peer pressure be high enough, he may also pass out. Kazanbai often seeks guidance from his best friend, the Fifth Seat from Squad Twelve, Tsuiseki Kamin. Despite the small distrusting nature he has hidden within himself, her intelligence and advice is what Kazanbai will take. He trusts her completely and will do anything she asks of him. As mentioned earlier, Kazanbai is often seen reading or doing his chores. Kazanbai has a very large passion of cooking, although Shinigami do not need to eat. He often cooks for those who have high spiritual pressure, such as Abarai Renji, Madarame Ikkaku(forced), Hisagi Shūhei, and Kurosaki Ichigo. He has a natural talent for it, it seems. Due to his parents’ teachings, he has a 'natural' urge to clean and do daily chores around his barracks. While he has his own list from Unohana, he often helps some of the slower squad members out with their duties. Kazanbai, when not he's reading, cleaning, or cooking, he can be found arranging flowers or playing with Yachiru, who more than enjoys his company. Yachiru, being the little bundle of energy that she is, is Kazanbai's source of exercise and also training. Due to her high speed, Kazanbai uses this to better himself at Shunpo. If not playing with Yachiru, he can also be found with Kamin. Like the rest of his squad, Kazanbai's timid and shy demeanor often give his opponent(s) and those around him the impression that he is weak... and they would be right. Kazanbai is also very naïve at times. When he is upset, will willingly trust beings such as Mayuri, his Hollow, or those who would wish to do him harm. Kazanbai detests conflict and will do anything to avoid it, lest it be absolutely necessary. Even so, during the first ten years of his Shinigami 'career,' Kazanbai has shown potential to be a force to be reckoned with! History COMING... LATER ON. Plot COMING... LATER ON. Fighting Style Kazanbai has a rather simple fighting style - avoid the fight at all cost. {C}If Kazanbai is forced to fight, he uses his instincts to survive. Instead of using brute force, Kazanbai prefers to outwit and out-speed his opponent. Using his light weight, he could easily out speed an opponent that is not using any sort of Shunpo or any other Hohō technique. Due to him being both physically and defensively weak, there is not much that Kazanbai can do on a battlefield. When fighting alone, there virtually is no fight; instead, it is a game of Hide and Seek. Kazanbai uses the low spiritual pressure he has to keep himself hidden from his enemies and uses his speed to outrun them if he is found. If found and cornered, Kazanbai will resort to using his Zanpakutō, Kushi. Depending on her mood at the time, the results of the battle my greatly differ from a temporary distraction(allowing him to escape) to complete and utter 'annihilation' of the foe. After his Hollow had appeared within him, Kazanbai had a very different method of fighting. He refused to use his Zanpakutō in the field of battle, at all. He would rather die than have that Hollow out for any period of time. Mentally, Kazanbai is strong, but before the winds of the Hollow, he breaks under them. His Hollow, should it ever appear, is a classic, textbook beserker. Unlike Kazanbai, this Hollow has no regard for human(or any) life nor the life of his host(thought, this is turned out to be false. As he needs Kazanbai to exist, the Hollow will protect him at all costs). Once his Hollow appears, Kazanbai's offense and defense are powered up to an insane degree. Unlike Kazanbai, Hebishukun likes the Hollow and grants him permission to use him, at will; this makes the Hollow twenty times more dangerous than it already is. Because of his, Kazanbai will often avoid fights, of if they are unavoidable, he will simply flee. Powers & Abilities '''Advanced Healer': As a member of the Fourth Division, Kazanabi excels in healing techniques. As stated earlier, Kazanbai's studious nature allows him to learn multiple techniques very quickly. His unique perspective and understand of the physical body allows him to easily identify where an internal wound may be. While he is an Eleventh Seat, Kazanbai's healing abilities come in at a close fourth. He is also commonly seen in the Emergency division, carrying out speedy operations or often caring for the younger paitents. Kidō Expert: '''Unlike most of the Division Four members, Kazanbai excels at Kidō. This has been noted by Captain Unohana and even Yamamoto himself. Kazanbai learned from one of the best users of Kidō, Momo Hinamori. Momo taught Kazanbai how to use Kidō in conjunction with other spells and even with his Zanpakutō. While Kazanbai does not fight, multiple training sessions have shown that he is a very, very quick learner. Due to his studious nature, Kazanbai quickly learned everything that Momo had to teach him. Momo has stated that Kazanbai had potential to be a high ranking officer if he just had the will to fight. '''Skilled Tactician: Kazanbai has shown that he knows his own limitations in practice battles. He compensates for this by utilizing his speed and unique Zanpakutō attacks to catch his opponent’s off-guard. His high level of Kidō mastery also allows him to attack with more variety. Zanpakutō Kushi and Hebishukun(櫛 and 蛇主君, Kushi and Serpent Lord; “Kushi and Snake King”): Two blades described by Kazanbai as “cute yet picky” and "extremely arrogant and rude." Much like Benihime, Kushi is one of the few known Zanpakutō with female spirit(owned by a male). When sealed, Kushi and Hebishukun is a pair of chopsticks that Kazanbai keeps hidden within his nagajuban. The chopsticks are of a deep marble color and are held together by a bright pink ribbon. Instead of being made of wood, they are metallic in texture. Hebishukun has not been released while Kazanbai is conscious, therefore, he does not know what his Shikai form looks like. Kushi *Shikai: Kushi’s Shikai command is “'Don’t Cry, Kushi'.” (泣かないで, 櫛! -'' Nakanaide, Kushi-chan''). Its Shikai takes the form of a sleek, medium-sized sword. The hilt’s grip, which has an amethyst-hued wrapping, bends southward at the end. Instead of a tsuba, there is a V-shaped guard covering the two inches of the blade; its base is decorated with feather-like designs. The blade itself is black with a silver edge. There are two ebony feathers with purple tips dangling from its base. Along with the feathers, an elongated, pink ribbon dangles from the base. ::: Shikai Special Ability: Kushi is capable of performing a variety of purple-colored energy techniques. These involve a high rates of sound or destructive energy blasts. To use these techniques, Kazanbai must use the correct verbal commands that correspond with the abilities. *'Nezame, Kushi!' (ねざめ, 櫛!, Awaken, Kushi!) This technique fires off three consecutive purple-hued energy blasts; the blade must be swung horizontally to allow the energy to flow out. These waves emit an extremely loud frequency that his opponent can hear. The first wave is extremely weak and it marks his opponent so the second and third waves will only emit the high frequency waves will slam his opponent. Those unmarked cannot hear the noise that Kazanbai's Zanpakutō creates. *'Nake, Kushi!' (啼け, 櫛!, Scream, Kushi!) A technique that fires a strong, destructive wave of purple-hued energy. Unlike Kushi's first attack, the arc swung does not matter; the energy flows out of the blade, following the said arc. Despite its destructive capabilities, Kazanbai cannot use it to its fullest potential as he cannot charge the attack. Not only does it drain Kazanbai of energy considerably, it does a massive amount of damage to the surrounding area. This technique is only used as a last resort due to the dangers of awakening Kazanbai's sleeping Hollow. o Bankai: Not Yet Achieved Trivia *Kazanbai has a crush on Tsubokura Rin and Hanatarō Yamada; he is exceedingly protective of these two boys and will risk his life to save them. *Kazanbai adores the lietenant of his squad, Kotetsu Isane. *Kazanbai has a distinct southern accent. *To this day, only two people know Kazanbai's true gender: Urahara Kisuke, and Retsu Unohana. *Kazanbai wishes to fight Kotesu Isane and Kurosaki Ichigo. *Kazanbai is terrified of Mayrui and even Nemu, to some extent. *During group spars, Kazanbai often ends up sitting out and tending to the wounds of the participants. *Kazanbai makes fun of Ikkaku’s baldness in the safety of his barracks. *Kazanbai has an extreme disliking of Suì-Fēng. *Kushi seem to be closely related to Benihime, in terms of appearance. *Kushi is based off of Kazanbai's split personality that he keeps locked away from the rest of the Soul Society. She is extremely bipolar because of this. *Kushi and Benihime are said to be eternal rivals to see who is the strongest of the two. To this day, Benihime remains the stronger of the two. *Kazanbai's reiatsu is a dull purple in color with a deep black glow. *Contrary to this, Hollow Kazanbai's reiatsu is black with a dull purple glow. Quotes *(To Isane Kotetsu) "Fighting is a senseless, pitiful excuse that men use to get themselves some satisfaction. I despise fighting! Some call me a coward, but, if it means it'll keep me alive to protect the ones I love, I will gladly be a coward! I don't want to see anyone that I care about shed a single tear. All I want is to get stronger. I couldn't care less about moving up a seat or proving that I'm not weak. If it makes him happy, I will do anything" *(About Ichigo Kurosaki) "He... Even in the face of death, he didn't even flinch. I... I want to be like that one day. He protected Kuchiki-hime and saved Abarai-fukataichō. No hesitation at all. I don't see how he does it, but, his eyes... They have this burning desire. This desire to protect.. I think '''that' is what makes him so strong."'' *''"I will protect him from you! Even if it means I have to kill myself in the process, you won't lay a damn finger on him; I can damn well promise you that. No Hollow will get close to him as long as breath flows through these pitiful lungs."'' *(To Isane Kotetsu's Reigai)'' "How dare you impersonate my Lieutenant! I will make you regret the day you Reigai scum infected the Fourth Division!"'' *(To Kushi) "Why are you crying, Kushi? So what, we lost. It doesn't matter to me! Why? Because you tried your hardest out there and I'm proud of you. Your best is all I ask of you."